Chapter 15: Arlecchino's Attention

Just as Lynette had said. The trio, returning just before dawn, had barely climbed over the wall of the Hôtel Bouffes d'été when a rose made of flame silently drifted down from the sky, landing before them and burning to ash.

Only one person in all of Fontaine possessed such a divine and extravagant ability to shape fire. That was the current Snezhnayan diplomat to Fontaine and the Fourth Fatui Harbinger—"The Knave," Arlecchino.

The message of the burning rose was crystal clear.

The three exchanged glances. They knew they had to report immediately.

...

In the reception room of the Hôtel Bouffes d'été, Arlecchino calmly read a newspaper. She had just finished her official duties. While her "children" were out on a secret operation, she hadn't been idle.

A soft knock came at the door. She casually placed the newspaper on the desk and said coolly, "Enter."

The door opened, and Lyney, Lynette, and Lu Li filed in, standing nervously before the desk with their heads bowed respectfully.

"Tell me, what were you doing tonight?" Arlecchino asked, sitting in her armchair and slowly crossing her legs, her voice calm and graceful.

"Reporting to 'Father,' a few days ago I received information about the remnants of the Lefebvre family. Therefore, tonight we took action to eliminate their organization," Lyney said quickly.

Arlecchino looked at Lynette, who immediately added respectfully, "Lyney is correct. We went to destroy the remnants' base tonight. We also obtained some intelligence that needs to be verified and learned a few things."

"After the Lefebvre family was wiped out," Lynette continued, "the remaining members seem to have joined another person's command, working for them to produce 'L'es' and sell it on the black market, harming the ordinary people of Fontaine." She placed the evidence they had gathered on the desk before stepping back respectfully.

Arlecchino glanced at it impassively, nodded, and asked, "Was the scene cleaned up?"

"Yes, no witnesses were left alive," Lu Li reported. "On my suggestion, the factory was also completely destroyed after we left, leaving nothing but ruins."

Arlecchino nodded and began to read through the research data Lynette had provided. After a moment, she said, "In that case, your actions were justifiable, and the aftermath has been handled cleanly. I will not pursue the matter further. You may go."

"One moment, Lord 'Father'," Lyney stepped forward. "Actually, we have one more thing to report." He nodded at Lu Li.

Lu Li stepped forward, meeting Arlecchino's curious gaze. "Indeed, we have one more thing to report. After obtaining this research data, it made me think about the Fontaine 'prophecy' that you, Lord 'Father,' have been investigating."

Arlecchino slowly straightened her posture, her eyes fixed on Lu Li, silently prompting him to continue.

The boy went on, "Some of the data here shows that an overdose of 'L'es' can be fatal to a person from Fontaine. But it's not just an overdose. If the concentration of the raw material in the 'L'es' reaches a certain limit, the person will die instantly. However, unlike a normal death, this person's body will dissolve into water and vanish."

Arlecchino became thoughtful.

"Lord 'Father,' the prophecy says, '...in the end, Fontaine will be submerged, everyone will dissolve into the water, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep on her throne.' The authenticity of this prophecy has been confirmed by diviners; it is an inevitable outcome, we just don't know when it will happen," Lu Li explained eloquently. "For now, we don't know the cause of the submergence, but dissolving into water... doesn't that fit the second part of the prophecy, 'disappearing into the water'?"

Arlecchino was momentarily stunned. A cold light flickered in her crimson, X-shaped pupils.

"I can't be certain, as I have no proof, but it's hard to imagine that 'L'es,' a 'drug' that has only recently appeared and only targets the people of Fontaine, has no connection to the prophecy," Lu Li continued. "And what is that mysterious raw material? Why does it have such an effect on the people of Fontaine? If we can find that out, I believe we won't be far from the truth."

Lu Li finished his solemn statement. Arlecchino's exquisite face showed no change in expression, but her pensive look indicated she was deep in thought.

After a long pause, she spoke softly. "Whether it is true or not, Lu Li, your words have provided another possibility for consideration. At a time when we have no leads, you have indeed lit a path for us to explore. You have done very well."

"Lyney, Lynette," Arlecchino said calmly. "It is late. You have been busy all night. You two may go and rest. As for you, Lu Li, stay behind for a moment. Your words have given me an idea to try."

The magician siblings were surprised but didn't dare say more. They responded respectfully and left. After giving a reassuring gesture to a worried Lynette, Lu Li watched them go, let out a soft breath, and turned to face Arlecchino, who had now stood up.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. Leaving me behind... what does she want me to do?

After the siblings had left, Arlecchino said coolly, "Let us continue our previous conversation, Lu Li. Do you believe our next course of action should be to target the underground forces producing 'L'es' in order to trace it back to its source—the raw material?"

Lu Li nodded. "I believe so. And, I have a small suggestion. Perhaps we could proceed on two fronts simultaneously?"

"Elaborate." Arlecchino poured herself a cup of tea from Liyue's Chenyu Vale.

"The sale of 'L'es' not only serves the corrupt and extravagant nobles of Fontaine but has also begun to endanger the lives of ordinary citizens. Both the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol of the Palais Mermonia and the Spina di Rosula of the Beryl Region want to eradicate it. Therefore, why don't we cooperate with these two local forces?"

"...I recall you have a rather good relationship with that young lady of the Spina di Rosula, Navia, and the captain of the Special Patrol, Chevreuse, correct?" Arlecchino said with a faint smile.

Lu Li nodded awkwardly.

"Very well. Since all three parties have their own goals and a common enemy, a temporary cooperation is not a bad idea. We will proceed as you suggest. However, I will entrust the contact to you. Can you handle it?"

"Yes, I will take responsibility," Lu Li said gravely.

"Secondly, regarding the direction of the investigation, I also have a lead."

Arlecchino raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You have a lot of information. Tell me."

Lu Li pondered for a long while. In truth, he didn't remember everything clearly. After all, it had been eighteen years since he had transmigrated into the world of Genshin. The training he had received and the knowledge he had learned had already taken up a large portion of his brain's capacity. His memories of his past life were not perfectly clear, just the general gist. If it hadn't been for this mission jogging his memory, he would have been as clueless as a native.

But even though his memory was hazy, he still remembered some key points from the game's main story. The producer of "L'es" was also the culprit behind the "Case of the Missing Young Women." This person was very wealthy, had old ties to Navia, and was deeply involved with the Spina di Rosula. With these conditions, he could surely deduce the answer. But he had to avoid tipping their hand. A person who had built such a large enterprise and killed without batting an eye would surely do something drastic if cornered.

Therefore, Lu Li thought for a moment and said, "Regarding this intelligence, Lord 'Father,' we must keep it to ourselves and not let the Spina di Rosula or the Special Patrol know, lest we alert the enemy and provoke them into some kind of desperate, retaliatory act against society."

Arlecchino's eyes flickered. Alert the enemy... so the final target has connections in both the Spina di Rosula and the Special Patrol? Retaliatory act... does he mean the raw material for 'L'es' is so dangerous that the enemy might use it for mass murder if cornered?

Arlecchino rubbed her chin and nodded. "I understand. Do you... have a suspect in mind?"

"Mm... This person is definitely deeply connected to the underground criminal world and has also used their connections to open up the upper-class market, allowing them to sell 'L'es' to everyone from nobles to fishermen. And based on when 'L'es' became popular, I believe the producer is likely a merchant. Therefore, we can investigate based on that identity and rule out suspects," Lu Li said, trying his best to recall the fuzzy details from his memory.

Arlecchino nodded, silent and thoughtful.

"...We will proceed as you say, Lu Li," she decided after a long pause.

-------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!

Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA

I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (100 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (190 Chapter)

Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (200 Chapter)

MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (80 Chapter)

BLEACH: Blade of Purification (70 Chapter)

Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (235 Chapter)

My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (80 Chapter)

The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (60 Chapter)

Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(50 Chapter)

Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (30 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (40 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (30 Chapter)

If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.